– Vietnam will open registration later this month for a 900-worker agriculture and fisheries selection round under South Korea’s Employment Permit System.
The Center for Overseas Labor’s 2026 selection notice sets a target of 500 candidates in fisheries and 400 in agriculture, with registration scheduled for Aug. 24-26. Fisheries therefore account for 55.6% of the selection target and agriculture for 44.4%.
Applicants will first sit the computer-based EPS-TOPIK Korean-language examination. The official timetable tentatively schedules that test for Sept. 28-30, followed by a mandatory skills assessment tentatively set for Oct. 27-29 for candidates who pass the first stage.
The Korean-language examination consists of 40 listening and reading questions completed in 50 minutes, together with a color-vision check. Registration costs the Vietnamese-dong equivalent of $28.
The skills stage assesses physical fitness, interview performance and job-related abilities, while an additional competency assessment is available for candidates with qualifying work experience, training or certificates.
The first-round pass pool is expected to equal 110% of the final selection target, or 990 candidates. Passing the examinations, however, does not guarantee employment in South Korea.
Successful candidates become eligible to submit employment applications and can travel only after being selected by a South Korean employer and signing an employment contract.
Applicants must be between 18 and 39 years old, covering those born from Aug. 25, 1986, through Aug. 24, 2008, and must meet the program’s health, criminal-record and immigration requirements.
Fisheries and agriculture candidates are also subject to additional sector-specific eligibility conditions covering matters such as residence, previous work experience and participation in earlier EPS programs.
In Ha Tinh province, authorities have instructed local administrations to publicize the recruitment round and coordinate applications through the Ha Tinh Employment Service Center. The center says applicants in the province must register in person at 156 Tran Phu, Thanh Sen ward, during the Aug. 24-26 window.
South Korea’s Human Resources Development Service is responsible for preparing and grading the examinations and conducting the skills assessment. Exact test venues and subsequent results will be announced through Vietnam’s Center for Overseas Labor, while HRD Korea’s EPS-TOPIK service provides examination information and preparation materials.